Soccer fans in the United States of America probably already know that the UEFA Champions League resumes today. Well, the qualifying rounds featuring teams you or I would recognize, at least. (Arsenal vs. Celtic is the big game today.) It’s on Fox Soccer Channel and the various Fox Sports networks, too, so no more ESPN2 ticker getting in the way. But what you may not know is that FSC has also launched a whole bunch of tech/Internety ways to enjoy the tournament.
For one, you can buy streams to whatever match you want for $10 from the new site championsonfox.com. (You can buy a season pass for $100, too.) It works on Mac/Linux this season, given that it uses Adobe Flash 10 to stream the video. (Last season it was some Windows Media Player deal.) Good in case you’re, I don’t know, stuck in class or your boss lets you stream video while at the office. Now you have no reason to use Ustream or whatever.
FSC also developed a Java app for mobile phones called FoxSoccer.com Mobile Match Tracker. It’s as you’d expect: a handy mobile app for AT&T and Sprint phones provided they support Java (ahem, iPhone) with post-match (“near-live” as worded in the press release) highlights, photos, scores from around the tournament, etc.
And while this is great and all, I think I speak for everyone who watches FSC when I ask, Where’s the HD? ESPN will shows its handful of EPL games in HD for the rest of the season—Hull vs. Chelsea was in HD at the weekend—and going back to FSC afterward is sorta yuck.
Meanwhile, in other soccer-tech news, you can set your own price for this year’s version of Football Manager, if that’s your thing.
Soccer fans in the US probably already know that the UEFA Champions League is in its final round of qualifyers today…
I was referring to the earlier qualifying rounds when you’ve got the champions of Moldova, Bosnia, etc.p laying. I don’t know anyone who pays attention to the tournament that early.
fans from moldova etc I guess :D
The announcers of the usa v svk game should just stop talking I would rather mute then listen to the dribble and no value added comments………please stop talking
Unlucky Celtic. hail hail.
unlucky yes. but Arsenal pressed, was positive, and forced mistakes.
I don’t know if you’ll allow the comment, but if you like football – soccer americanized- try http://www.rojadirecta.com/ they provide free live-streaming links of the UEFA Champions League and all the european national leagues matches.
The Celtic Arsenal game was on Fox Sports West, my local fox in High Definition, Live. today. Time Warner hd still sucks ass. But it was offered in HD just not on FSC. They do however need to get off their ass and do that cause the FSC picture is crap and clearly they aren’t too high on fixing it since it’s been crap for many years.
Fox Soccer Channel will begin broadcasting Premier League games in HD in January, 2010.
You can hear a podcast interview with executives from FSC, Setanta and GolTV discussing their 09/10 football coverage here: http://www.epltalk.com/epl-talk-podcast-128-gol-tv-setanta-north-america-and-fsc-2009-10-coverage-plans/10045
Cheers,
The Gaffer
Whoa, Gaffer, neat to see you ’round these parts.
Your interview reminds me of when someone from FSC was on World Soccer Daily a few months ago, and he said that FSC would be going HD in time for the knockout phase. Anyway, the HD games this fall on FSN and ESPN should hold us over till FSC makes the full switch. Take care!
This is great stuff. I just really want to know when the iPhone app comes out. I can’t seem to find it at the Apple Store.